Paine College partners in Georgia community project

A UMNS Report
By Linda Green*

Paine College, a United Methodist-related school in Augusta, Ga., is partnering with a community-based initiative on a three-year project to decrease violence and increase the quality of life for citizens of Augusta.

The project, funded with a $255,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, also will provide information about HIV/AIDS and increase access to healthcare facilities for citizens in underserved areas of Augusta.

The 900-student, historically black college is joining with the Augusta division of New Tools, New Vision, which works with historically black colleges to reduce health disparities in Georgia.

A public health issue

New Tools, New Vision brings together the resources of the Southeast Community Research Center, the Research Center on Health Disparities at Morehouse College in Atlanta and four communities surrounding historically black colleges and universities in Georgia to conduct community-based research and develop plans of action.

"This grant is special to Paine College because it focuses on the very communities that foster many of our students," said Paine President George C. Bradley. "Faculty members will use their knowledge and skills to engage the community in research that will help develop programs designed to decrease violence, increase HIV/AIDS awareness and increase access to credible health care."

Dicks said the grant will be used to build a problem-solving partnership between academia and communities within Augusta, where violence, youth gang activities and crimes with guns are on the increase, particularly in the 30901 and 30906 zip codes.

A New Tools, New Vision committee and local organizations plan to form research committees, conduct surveys, organize focus groups and town hall meetings and work with community, state, local and civic organizations. A strategic plan is expected to be in place by 2011.

"This is collaboration between the grassroots community and Paine College," he added. "We are going out to the people. It is for the people."

Historic opportunity

"As far as I know, I don't think anything on this level or magnitude has been attempted before," Dicks said. "I see this as a very historic and great opportunity."

He hopes the communities will see violence as a public-health issue and begin to address the issue by keeping middle-school students off the streets and on the right track.

New Tools, he added, is "excited about working with a great United Methodist school like Paine because Paine was founded on doing community service in 1882." The school will bring to the table resources including information technology and academic professionals and researchers.

"This is a great opportunity for the community and for this great historic institution that has been a jewel for a long time." Dicks said.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, based in Battle Creek, Mich., was established in 1930. The organization supports children, families and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society.

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.